Ahead of an important year for the organization, the Aurora Cultural Centre has announced the lineup for its 2024-25 performance series.
Titled Up Close and Musical, the season’s line-up features JUNO Award winners, with performers in genres from jazz to folk to classical, as well as national dance champions and seasoned comedians.
This upcoming season will also mark the debut of the Aurora Town Square concert hall, with the grand opening coming the week before the season kicks off.
“We want to emphasize the intimacy of the performance hall, the space is a wonderful, new addition to the town,” said Derek Andrews, performing arts manager at the centre. “We are intimate, and that intimacy is part of what’s going to be special about this brand-new space.”
The first show of the season is on Sept. 27, headlined by JUNO-nominated jazz musician Barbara Lica, with Toronto musician Trombone Charlotte acting as supporting act.
“We’re bringing back some familiar faces but also introducing a number of new talents to the scene,” he said. “We have half a dozen support acts that are part of our approach to introduce younger and emerging artists.”
The cultural centre started offering performances with support acts last season.
"It takes some pressure off them, they’re not required to sell the tickets, the headliners sell the tickets.”
Headliners this year include Nicaraguan-Canadian comedian Martha Chaves, who is set to perform two different shows.
Chaves tackles immigration in her show, I Got My Papers on Saturday, Oct. 5, and United Colours of Canada on April 26, 2025.
Also performing is JUNO award winner Laila Biali, performing her suite of festive songs, Wintersongs and Holiday Classics, alongside musician Jane Bunnett.
Biali, who also hosts CBC Radio’s Saturday Night Jazz, is performing on Dec. 14.
Cultural centre seen growth as Canadian festivals tumble
This year is set to be a big one for the cultural centre, with its 15th anniversary coming up in January and its new home in Aurora Town Square, which is set to “revitalize” the town’s cultural scene, according to Andrews.
“Aurora is being given a big gift with the Aurora Town Square by having a remarkable new facility that is going to help revitalize the downtown, be a cultural hub for many different things, not just the performing arts,” said Andrews.
This past year has seen a number of cultural institutions and festivals face financial difficulties, with events like Montreal’s Just for Laughs comedy festival getting cancelled.
“We’re optimistic, we think people are going to be excited about the new facility, and that’s going to offset any concerns about box office,” he said. “We have a pretty large inventory of tickets to sell that we’re leaning on our public to support us, but we think we’re giving the public what they want.”
There was growth in ticket sales this past season, with the cultural centre presenting its biggest classical show and biggest pop show.
“We believe that the public will be there for us as we give them offerings that will save them from having to go downtown on the DVP and deal with Toronto traffic and parking,” added Andrews.
Tickets to next season's shows go live on July 11.
READ MORE: Take a peek inside Aurora Town Square as it nears completion
